Karen Strassler

Karen Strassler is a Professor of Anthropology at Queens College, CUNY, and teaches at the CUNY Graduate Center. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2003). Her research focuses on visual culture, media, memory, and violence in Indonesia, with particular attention to how images shape public discourse and historical narratives. She has authored two major books: Refracted Visions (2010) and Demanding Images (2020), exploring the intersection of photography, modernity, and post-authoritarian democracy.

Her research interests include cultural anthropology, visual and material culture, photography, Southeast Asian studies, and Asian diasporas. Current work examines visuality, violence, and the ethnic Chinese minority in Indonesia. She teaches courses on cultural anthropology, Southeast Asian cultures, photography, and memory studies.

Her publications span academic journals and edited volumes, analyzing topics like art and memory, photographic representations of identity, and postcolonial visual practices. No specific awards or grants are detailed in the text.